"Midnight Garden" One-of-a-Kind Tunic by Sheila Metcalf

Tunic of handwoven yardage and kimono silk. One of a kind. Inside pocket, length from neck to hem 27”. One size fits most. Rayon, cotton, silk. Dry clean. 

sheilametcalf.com

About Sheila Metcalf:

I have always made things. When I was eight I learned to knit and loved to build houses in the Carolina woods. Later I stitched doll clothes and wove stacks of pot holders. In high school I sewed shirtwaist dresses and bathing suits.

My Hungarian mother and aunts inspired me with their handwork. I watched slipcovers emerge, chiffon hemmed, towels woven and a wedding dress beaded....all exquisitely. Through weaving, I not only express myself creatively but feel connection with ancestors and other weavers around the globe and back thousands of years.

After spinning yarns and knitting for years I decided to learn to weave. Moving to Lopez Island in 1999 offered space and time to work with many inspiring teachers and to deeply explore making cloth. Each choice of fiber, weave structure, color combination created something new. Garments became my focus.

Creating soft jackets and wraps with just the right drape using slubby cottons, spun rayons, loopy mohair, fine wools and sumptuous silks in every hue is my daily work. Details of leaf imprinting, sashiko stitching, wood block printing and shibori dye techniques are sometimes used to finish each piece uniquely.

In school where mathematics was my field, I enjoyed finding order with numbers. Now in my studio I organize threads and seek harmony in finished cloth. Not needing “perfection”, I am drawn towards the exquisite beauty of the flaw and the character of aging. The Japanese culture of “wabi-sabi” offers grace and a touch of the divine.

Travel has been an important path of my learning. As a young teenager I lived 3 years near Tokyo where my appreciation of the Japanese aesthetic began. I chose a career in travel and still spend winters in India where meeting working artisans is a privilege. The exuberant designs of Matthias Church in Budapest and the glorious Byzantine mosaics of Sicily both stirred my soul.

I make garments that are comfortable, timelessly stylish and can be worn for that special occasion as well as everyday with leggings and boots.